ALSO:
• Local mom builds businesses for her family’s future
• A mother’s challenge leads to a successful soap business
BRIDGING CULTURES
One-Stop Shop!
My sister Leigh recently commented that I’m constantly checking in on people to see how they’re doing and how things are going for them. I’ve never really thought about it, but she’s right. I frequently text my family to ensure things are going well for them.
When I write articles about people for magazines, though, things are a bit different. I’m not really in their lives – I’m just documenting a small piece of their story. But long after the magazine issues come out, I still think about them occasionally and wonder how they are. I get invested in their story as I write it and want to see them succeed and thrive.
For this magazine issue, I decided to feature a woman we’ve written about in the past –MaryJean Orozco of Peru. When I interviewed her more than two years ago, she was a young mom with big business plans. She’s been working hard ever since, alongside her fiancé, and together they’re building businesses they hope their children will take over someday. If you remember reading her story when it appeared in this magazine, I hope you enjoy hearing an update about how things are going for her as much as I did. And, as always, if you know of any women with an interesting story you’d like to see featured in this magazine, please send me an email at sserpette@ shawmedia.com.
Best wishes,
Shannon Serpette Niche Editor
Promoting Understanding 4
Sara Escatel serves as a dedicated Hispanic advocate.
‘It’s for the kids’ 6
MaryJean Orozco creates businesses for her family.
Cleaning Up with a Soap Business 9
Businesswoman has spent two decades growing her company.
On the cover: Sara Escatel has been the Illinois Valley Community College director of education since 2008. She helps students obtain their GED and teaches ESL (English as a Second Language). She also creates and advises IVCC’s Hispanic heritage events, such as helping construct the Day of the Dead display in October.
PHOTO BY BRANDON LACHANCE
Illinois Valley Woman
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La Salle, Illinois 61301 (815) 223-3200 (800) 892-6452 www.newstrib.com
General Manager/ Advertising Director Jeanette Smith jmsmith@shawmedia.com
Niche Editor Shannon Serpette sserpette@shawmedia.com
Writers Brandon LaChance
Shannon Serpette
Photographers
Brandon LaChance
Shannon Serpette
Designer Liz Klein
Sara
Promoting Understanding
Sara Escatel serves as a dedicated Hispanic advocate
It didn’t take long for Sara Escatel to find her passion and calling in life.
Born in Mexico, she didn’t live there past being a newborn baby because her parents, Perfecto and Sara Espinoza, moved to Mendota shortly after. Escatel grew up in Mendota and, besides a stint in Texas, has always called Mendota and the Illinois Valley her home.
While growing up in the United States, Escatel saw the troubles and tribulations her Mexican-born-and-raised parents had because of language and cultural barriers. It became Escatel’s life goal to assist not only her parents but all immigrants.
“I grew up with parents who were non-English speaking. It was hard for them to acclimate to the new culture and customs, so I was their interpreter and translator. I really had the ability to converse and translate. And I loved it. I love shifting from one language to another and being able to provide services to others who can’t,” Escatel said.
“I had to do it for a lot of students when I was in grade school because I was the only Hispanic girl when I started kindergarten in Mendota. I remember them asking me to help new students coming into the school system and show them the ropes. I think the leadership role was embedded in me since Day 1
Escatel was born in Mexico and moved to Mendota shortly after that. She has spent her adult life as a Hispanic advocate.
Story & Photos by Brandon LaChance
when I started school,” she said.
Escatel has been the Illinois Valley Community College director of education since 2008. She helps students obtain their GED and teaches ESL (English as a Second Language) from basic to advanced skills and the transition to college.
She also creates and advises IVCC’s Hispanic heritage events, such as helping construct the Day of the Dead display in October since it is a Hispanic tradition to celebrate the dead. Escatel has been the advisor for the IVCC Hispanic Leadership Team for the last seven years, leading students who want to help the community and guide them into leadership opportunities.
Outside of IVCC, Escatel was a founder and organizer of the Illinois Valley Hispanic Partnership Council in 2001, which spreads its wings through the entire valley to this day.
Reimagine Mendota, Valley Immigrants Advocates Board, and the 708 Mental Health Board are also on Escatel’s priority list. All of her efforts are focused on bridging the gaps and helping immigrants in the U.S.
“I think many can succeed if they learn English. I feel our ESL programs are really beneficial to the community. It hasn’t been easy, but we’re seeing more acceptance and awareness. The access to public services is more readily available because we see in state agencies where they’re hiring more bilingual help,” Escatel said.
“This has been a factor in immigrants accessing services. People would do without because they didn’t know they had the opportunity to apply for benefits. I’m talking about even just going to the hospital. Before, people would stay home or try to remedy themselves because they couldn’t find access to health care that was in their language. It’s hard to talk about personal problems or healthcare issues through a translator because it can mis-
conceived and misdiagnosed.”
Through her love of helping people and having the view of what our society could be if all ethnicities worked in unity, Escatel tries promote greater awareness.
“I think awareness is important. That’s what I try to do wherever I go. It’s about helping inform people. It’s also if they want to hear you because not everyone wants to hear, listen, or learn. Someone has to be open to the conversation and want to learn about communities,” she said.
“We have immigrants from all over the world, not just from Mexico, at IVCC. We serve students from Ukraine, Russia, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. The South America countries are totally different communities than Mexico. People tend to lump them into one, but they’re all different and speak different dialects.”
Escatel understands and respects every point of view when it comes to understanding immigration and ethnicity. She acknowledges we all have to in order to completely bridge the culture gaps.
“It also helps people to not be afraid. A lot of times people have fear if they hear another language because they only know their language. When they hear someone speaking in another language, they fear they’re being talked about or fear other things because they can’t understand them,” Escatel said.
“You have to adapt to where you’re at, whether you’re moving to another country or even going on vacation in another country. That’s the only way you’re going to feel the way the people feel in the country. You have to immerse yourself in the culture,” she said. “I serve on committees, enrollment teams, and boards to make sure everyone gets the information they need to help reach everyone – all ethnicities and individuals, not just a certain few.”
‘It’s for the kids’
MaryJean Orozco creates businesses for her family
Story and photos by Brandon LaChance
MaryJean Orozco is pursuing entrepreneurship to give her children a bright future. This 30-year-old mother of four who lives in Peru and is engaged to her partner of eight years, Justin Evans, is involved in three businesses and has ideas for more entrepreneurial opportunities.
“The goal was always to have four businesses for the kids, so we could leave each one of them a business,” Orozco said. “When I created the LLC to be an umbrella for the businesses, I decided to use the kids’ initials and went with FCMA, LLC. The F is Fernando (who is 13), the C is for Caliana (who is 6), the M is for Malachi (who is 5), and the A is for Aamir ( who is 3).”
Orozco hopes that having her kids see her work hard and create her own opportunities shows them that possibilities are everywhere.
“The kids are my No. 1 motivation. I want them to see that you don’t need someone else’s structure to succeed. You have to rely on yourself. School and degrees are awesome, but they’re not necessarily needed for a person to be successful. No one is going to be successful for them – they have to figure out how to do it themselves.
I just want to show them that they can literally do anything.”
Orozco didn’t have a high school diploma until she was 27. Following that academic achievement, she enrolled in college when she was pregnant with her fourth child. She even made it a priority to finish a homework assignment minutes before going into labor.
She was happy she tried the experience, but between children and trying to build businesses, she decided that additional college courses would be postponed on her list of priorities.
to, we moved out of the guest house,” Orozco said.
Sure Step, which originally started as a non-slip flooring application and a bathroom refinishing company, was created by Orozco and Evans three years ago. It then added residential and commercial cleaning services to the menu when Evans Property Management (under the FCMA umbrella) was created for Airbnbs two years ago.
Orozco and Evans have three Airbnbs they run themselves, two in DeKalb and one in Tonica, and properties they manage for other property owners.
“The Airbnb in Tonica used to be our house. When we transformed it into an Airbnb, we moved into the one-bedroom, one-bath guest house with all six of us and a big dog to make sure the Airbnb was going
“We co-host one Airbnb in Princeton, one in La Salle, two in Ottawa, and one in McHenry. If you think of it in real estate terms, we manage the property and interact with the guests. We also make sure it’s clean. We take care of the property and make it ready for guests, and they own the property,” she said.
Within the last year, Orozco started another endeavor with MaryJean Trusted Life Insurance Broker.
What was once a friend’s idea, ‘Hey, you would make a good insurance broker,’ became a reality after Orozco’s mother, Ann Pucharich, passed away in January 2022.
“I got really lucky, and I don’t know why. I think it was just the conviction behind it,” said Orozco, an independent broker. “When I
sat down for insurance with my mom, the fact we didn’t have to worry about money because of insurance, it just seemed like something I could help people with.”
Sure Step, Evans Property Management, and her insurance brokering business are all in their infancy. However, Orozco and Evans are both 100 percent all in with the idea of building the companies for their and their family’s future.
“Justin was a maintenance superintendent in Bolingbrook, where he worked six days a week and made $150,000 a year. I was drowning. I told him, ‘I’d rather struggle and have less money if you were home. We’ll make it work,’” Orozco said. “He quit to take more responsibility and put more focus in our independent businesses. It was intense for a bit. We had a lifestyle we were used to with trips and vacations. It hasn’t happened in a while now, but he’s home, he sees the kids, and we work together.”
Evans is currently a general manager and representative for Dixon Superior Painting while partnering with Orozco for the cleaning company and the Airbnbs. With Evans helping to supply paint and Orozco brokering insurance, and both coming together for cleaning and Airbnbs, all their businesses complement each other.
“All of our businesses kind of work together. The cleaning and management of Sure Step goes with the Airbnbs,” Orozco said. “The painting has helped a lot with the cleaning business because we can refer each other. Another idea I’ve had
MaryJean Orozco is trying to create four businesses – one for each of her kids, so they can eventually each take one over.
which would intertwine and go hand-in-hand with the other businesses is a moving company.”
While she has her hands full right now, Orozco is eyeing future plans as well.
“My long-term goal is to be a lawyer to help people get out of jail who shouldn’t be in jail,” Orozco said.
‘That’s what I was going to school for, but was in class while trying to build the Airbnbs. I decided it would be a better idea to create the passive income first and then focus on becoming a lawyer later. I have said I want to be a licensed attorney by 40, but if it’s later, that’s OK.”
Cleaning Up with a Soap Business
Businesswoman has spent two decades growing her company
Story and photos by Shannon Serpette
Twenty years ago, Christine Davis was a desperate mother searching for ways to help her child. She had no idea her quest to ease her daughter’s suffering from a painful condi-
tion was going to lead her to create a successful business.
“My daughter (Rachel Rene) was born with really severe eczema,” Christine said.
When Christine would try using store-bought and prescription products on her daughter’s skin, it seemed to make the pain worse. The only thing that seemed to relieve her daughter’s eczema was giving her goat milk baths, using goat’s milk that a neighbor would give her.
After some research into how
goat’s milk provided relief for eczema, Christine, who at that time was a stay-at-home mom, came up with an idea.
“I told my husband, ‘I want to try making a soap for her,’” Christine said.
She spent months searching for resources and doing research so she could formulate bars of soap using the goat’s milk provided by her neighbor. Once she was happy with her bars of soap,
See SOAP page 10
Above: Christine Davis (left), owner of a store called Rachel Rene Bath and Body Boutique in Princeton, began making soap 20 years ago to help her daughter Rachel Rene (right) with her painful eczema.
SOAP
FROM PAGE 9
she began selling the extras at craft shows and markets as a way to bring in income for her family and help other people with sensitive skin.
“It gained a lot of traction,” she said.
She decided to build a website so she could sell her bath products online, and she continued to develop a strong local business.
“It was awesome,” she said. In 2017, after spending years growing her business, Christine opened a store in Princeton, Rachel Rene Bath and Body Boutique, which is named after her daughter. In 2019, she moved her store to 620 S. Main Street in Princeton so she could expand more. With the success of the Princeton store, Christine decided to open a second location at 5901 N. Prospect Road in Peoria.
“When we first opened the store, we just had our products,” Christine said.
But she has since added other items that complement her products, such as robes and pajamas.
One of the things Christine loves about running her own shop is that her daughter, Rachel Davis, works there with her. And while some daughters might find it challenging to work with their mother, that’s not an issue for Christine and Rachel.
“I love working with her,” Rachel said.
Christine said Rachel is the best soap maker at Rachel Rene.
“I really like making pretty things,” Rachel said, adding that creating new soaps can be a challenge. “Some scents are harder to use than others.”
Rachel Rene’s number one seller is its shaving soap bars, but its whipped soap and aluminum-free deodorant are also extremely popular. They offer seasonal scents and have a wide variety of options that work well in the fall and winter months, such as First Snow, Hot Cocoa, and Candy Cane soaps.
“We are a stocking stuffer store at Christmas. Our items are also great for Secret Santas, and we do a ton of gift baskets,” Christine added.
They’ve also begun offering custom-made products, which will allow people to have items with customized scents.
Christine said she has always been appreciative of the customers who shop locally and support her business.
Giving local handmade gifts is a great way to invest in your community because your purchases help support local workers, taxes, and schools, she added.
“It supports your town. It keeps the town alive. We’re lucky in Princeton – our Main Street is full of small businesses,” she said.
Supporting small businesses also keeps the unique feeling of Main Street in Princeton, which is something many locals and visitors love about this city.
“All the shops offer different things,” Christine said, adding that the variety is one of the reasons that it’s easy to spend an entire day shopping in Princeton and dining at local restaurants.
Christine said she loves supporting other women, including those who work for her and those who own other businesses.
“In Princeton, many of our businesses are women-run. I think we feed off of each other,” Christine said. “You all go through the same thing.”
Right: If you’re struggling with a fall or winter cold, a hot soak in the bathtub with eucalyptus and spearmint mineral bath salts may provide you with a little temporary relief.
Left: Rachel Rene Bath and Body Boutique, located at 620 S. Main St. in Princeton, offers a variety of products that use popular fall and winter scents like pumpkin spice. Right: This handmade soap will make a beautiful addition to a loved one’s stocking this Christmas.
